All of us possess the power and energy to get everything we have ever wanted out of life and reach supreme success! This week’s blog feature a spotlight from 19 year old Wayne State University student Brendan Johnson who not only has seen success at many things so far in his life but is also on a mission to make all of his visualizations about life come true and reach his supreme success! Take a look at his perspective on working hard vs working smart:
Most everyone who is on the path of success has heard of the concept of hard work and understand the basics of it. As Elvis Presley said, “Ambition is a drive with a v8 engine”. That v8 engine is the hard work. When you put the pedal to the metal and go at it with everything you have. It doesn’t matter what it takes to get the job done, you will do it! It is the grit and grind that needs to be put in in order to build the empire you are trying to build!
Another concept that is less prevalent in the world, but just as important, is the concept of working smart. This one is a little harder to pin down. It doesn’t have a simple textbook definition like hard work does. This can make it a little bit more of a daunting concept for people, which is part of why it is not as main stream. The best way to look at working smart is not as a word that needs to be defined, but as an attribute that a person can, and should, seek to acquire. Smart workers look at the world a little differently. Instead of looking at a problem and just charging into it head first, applying all the grind and grit it takes to overcome the problem, they look at the best way to solve that problem. They take a step back, analyze their options for tackling whatever lies ahead of them, and then proceed forward on the best route.
To work smart or work hard is an age old question that is really a trick question. The answer isn’t work smart OR work hard, the answer is to work smart AND work hard! It is when one can synthesize these two that they are able to reach the next level of success. Working smart is good, however, some people get so caught up in the analysis that they don’t ever execute on the plan, or they execute too slowly on it. Working hard is also good, unfortunately it’s downfall is that sometimes all that hard work is put into the wrong avenue. It doesn’t matter if you spent 100 hours on a project if it was the wrong project. Working hard compliments working smart and vise versa because it fills the others weakness. One has to begin with the idea of figuring out what way to take the next step. Which path will reap the rewards desired? Which step will give you the biggest inch to help you with the forward progression you desire? After you have analyzed, and then decided which way to go, you then have to put in the hard work needed to enact that plan and get it done the right way in a timely manner.
As you put in the hard work, it is important to keep your eyes and ears peeled to see if there is any need to reanalyze/change courses. Keep the work smart mindset as you grind out on your chosen path to make sure that you stay on the right path and continue towards your supreme success!
Collaborated on By: DJ Bridges & Brendan Johnson
My Supreme Success 